In the past, when users used a handwriting recognition program which provided a graphical user interface, an initial usability issue that was most apparent for the beginning users was that the users could not find the area in which they were supposed to hand-write (print) letters. In other words, the designated writing boxes, when provided by the handwriting recognition program user interface (UI) design, did not imply to the users the intended functionality. One of the most common problems associated with prior art graphical user interfaces was that the users tried writing more than one letter in each writing box, and as a result, the input was not recognized. In addition, the prior art handwriting recognition programs often required users to select a writing mode before entering letters, numbers, or symbols. Therefore, the users of such handwriting recognition software had to first select a tab corresponding to the writing mode desired ahead of time. At times users tended to forget to change the tabs before writing, and as an example, they wrote letters when the mode was set for symbols causing the system to miss-recognizes their input. Finally, users normally did not realize that the larger their handwriting, the better the handwriting recognition program would recognize the input. Many users also often wrote very small letters in the boxes, which decreased the accuracy of the system.
Thus, there is a need for a method and apparatus that would help the users understand the functionality of the handwriting recognition graphical user interface, and in particular, the behavior of the writing boxes when provided.